Trigger Pulled!

[exaN]

After over a year of crawling all over the forums and being jealous of all you guys, I think I'm about to pull the trigger on a body.

I've been thinking this through for a long time to be sure I pull the trigger on the right wood, finish, bridge, pickups, etc

So tadaaa:

She's gonna have a white pickguard with a set of Dimarzio Areas.

This will probably be the only part I order in months because I'm getting short on money.

The neck will be something like this: http://www.warmoth.com/Showcase/ShowcaseNeck.aspx?i=SN8105&Body=1&Path=Neck

 

[mgaut051]

:hello2:

 

[Cagey]

You'll be very pleased when it shows up. Warmoth makes the best bodies and necks, bar none.

Dimarzio Areas are fine pickups, too. Sound just like single coils, but without the hum. I know there are a lot of them out there from a number of manufacturers, but DiMarzio really hit it with that series. An Area 58 in the neck position and an Area 61 in the middle are really sweet. Bridge is up for grabs. My current favorite is a Fast Track 1. But that's all subjective. It's tough to get a bad sounding pickup these days, so your best bet is YouTube video reviews. They'll have different guitars and amps and will play differently than you, so none of it will mean anything, but at least you can say you did some research <grin>

 

[exaN]

You'll be very pleased when it shows up. Warmoth makes the best bodies and necks, bar none.

Dimarzio Areas are fine pickups, too. Sound just like single coils, but without the hum. I know there are a lot of them out there from a number of manufacturers, but DiMarzio really hit it with that series. An Area 58 in the neck position and an Area 61 in the middle are really sweet. Bridge is up for grabs. My current favorite is a Fast Track 1. But that's all subjective. It's tough to get a bad sounding pickup these days, so your best bet is YouTube video reviews. They'll have different guitars and amps and will play differently than you, so none of it will mean anything, but at least you can say you did some research <grin>

Yup, I just want a classic Strat sound, nothing fancy.

I'll post pics when it shows up

 

[dNA]

:rock-on:
looks sweet. is that ash? (i'm looking at the neck pocket and guessing)

link for the neck didn't show me anything.


when u get it all together, get some clips. The area series pickups sound like they're pretty sweet, but i'd love to hear some personal perspective.

 

[TroubledTreble]

Hooray for hardtails! :hello2:

 

[exaN]

:rock-on:
looks sweet. is that ash? (i'm looking at the neck pocket and guessing)

link for the neck didn't show me anything.


when u get it all together, get some clips. The area series pickups sound like they're pretty sweet, but i'd love to hear some personal perspective.

Will do for the clips! But that will have to wait a couple months while I gather all the parts. And yes, it is ash.

Man, I think that neck I linked has been sold haha, the link worked this morning. Anyway it's a very basic rosewood on maple neck.

 

[JaySwear]

THAT is cool. for some reason i've been GASing lately for a plain old bright red strat. it's a classic! and it's a hardtail :icon_biggrin:

 

[exaN]

THAT is cool. for some reason i've been GASing lately for a plain old bright red strat. it's a classic! and it's a hardtail :icon_biggrin:

Hardtail > Tremolo

It's a proven fact :icon_jokercolor:


EDIT: How hard is it to achieve a vintage tint satin finish on a maple neck? I really want that kind of finish for the neck and I thought I could save some $$ by doing it myself­.

 

[Cagey]

Ron Kirn has a long and highly educational tutorial on his website on building a Strat from scratch. On page four http://www.ronkirn.com/tutorial/strat_tutorial4.htm he gets into mixing up some vintage tint lacquer for his neck. I don't know if that's the finish you're using, but I imagine the technique and measurements will be about the same. He takes you from prep, to mixing, to shooting, to finishing and buffing - the whole nine yards.

The whole tutorial is just excellent. If you have the time to go through it, I'd highly recommend it. The photography is first rate, and there's plenty of it. Plus, he's a good writer so it's easy to follow along. You're rarely left with questions.

 

[exaN]

Ron Kirn has a long and highly educational tutorial on his website on building a Strat from scratch. On page four http://www.ronkirn.com/tutorial/strat_tutorial4.htm he gets into mixing up some vintage tint lacquer for his neck. I don't know if that's the finish you're using, but I imagine the technique and measurements will be about the same. He takes you from prep, to mixing, to shooting, to finishing and buffing - the whole nine yards.

The whole tutorial is just excellent. If you have the time to go through it, I'd highly recommend it. The photography is first rate, and there's plenty of it. Plus, he's a good writer so it's easy to follow along. You're rarely left with questions.

Thanks you very much sir :hello2:

 

[Cagey]

You're welcome. I've been thinking of setting up to do the same thing myself. Warmoth does an excellent job, but it's $125 or so. It's worth it, but if you're cash-poor and need a finished neck RFN, it'd be nice to be able to do it yourself. Need to run some plumbing from the garage to the basement to carry the air, though, because that's where the compressor is and sorta has to stay. Maybe this summer...

 

[tfarny]

Yay for more hardtail strats! Simple, clean, and effective. Areas are nice pups too. I did a blind pickup test somewhere, you might be interested in it. No time to search the thread now though.

 

[AutoBat]

neck has been sold. so image went bye-bye

 

[exaN]

neck has been sold. so image went bye-bye

Yeah just a badluck

Here's another one:

Basic rosewood on maple



EDIT: I might actually go with canary for the neck, it has a similar tint as vintage and I'll save money on the finish.

 

[AutoBat]

i doubt you'll find anyone here that'll say "nooo, gotta have the maples!"

 

[exaN]

i doubt you'll find anyone here that'll say "nooo, gotta have the maples!"

Haha yeah I know how it is here when talking about raw necks :laughing7:

 

[exaN]

Am I missing anything here?:

Custom Neck
Style: Stratocaster®
Construction: Warmoth Pro
Neck Wood: Maple
Fingerboard Wood: Ebony
Orientation: Right Handed
Nut Width: 1 11/16"
Back Shape: 59 roundback
Fret Size: 6105
Tuner Ream: Gotoh/Grover (13/32", 11/32")
Inlays: Cream Face Dots
Pre-Cut Installed String Nut: GraphTech Black TUSQ XL
Finish: Vint Tint Satin Nitro
Radius: 10-16" Compound
Scale: 25-1/2 in.
Fret #: 22
Mounting Holes: Standard 4 Bolt

Showcase Body
Model: Standard Stratocaster®
Orientation: Right handed
Wood: Swamp Ash
Rout: Top Rout
F-Holes: None
Pickup Rout: Strat®, Strat®, Strat®
Controls: None
Bridge: Vintage Strat® Flat Mount
Top Finish: Fiesta Red
Jack Rout: Top

Custom Pickguard
Shape: Strat
Color: White/Black/White
Orientation: Right Handed
Mounting Holes: 11 Hole
Neck Pickup: Strat
Middle Pickup: Strat
Bridge Pickup: Strat
Control 1: None
Control 2: Tone
Control 3: Tone 2
Control 4: 5 Way Switch
Bridge Cut: Standard
Additional: Standard

Strat Flat Mount Bridge, Vintage Spacing, Chrome

Strat Volume Knob, White

Strat Tone Knob, White

Recessed Top Jack Plate, Chrome

Mono Jack, By Switchcraft®

Neck Plate Pad, Black

Neck Plate, Chrome

250K Pot, By CTS (x2)

Guitar String Ferrule, Chrome (x6)

Barrel Retainer for Guitar, Chrome

5-Way Blade Switch

Strat Switch Knob, White

Schaller Strap Locks, Pair, Chrome

Capacitor, Ceramic Disc, .001uf, 50 Volt        (I picked a random capacitor, I don't know what value to pick :\ )

Gotoh SG38 Tuner, Left, Chrome (x6)

 

[Cagey]

You're missing screws for the pickguard, switch, and back tremolo cover, as well as the tremolo cover. Also, no pickups. And for $20, they'll put stainless frets on that neck that I guarantee you'll like a lot. They feel much better than silver/nickel, wear ten times as long, and don't affect the tone.

 

[exaN]

You're missing screws for the pickguard, switch, and back tremolo cover, as well as the tremolo cover. Also, no pickups. And for $20, they'll put stainless frets on that neck that I guarantee you'll like a lot. They feel much better than silver/nickel, wear ten times as long, and don't affect the tone.

Ah yes, I think I'll go for stainless since I like to abuse my strings

And this is going to be a hardtail so no tremolo cover